World Forums

Buon Compleanno to Casati Jr.

Thanks to all for the well wishes...

M&M:

Happy Birthday to your boy. Take him to a stip club soon.

Yeah... that's what I always wanted to do... go to strip joint with dad...

You dope.

BAH

I don't know what I'm more disappointed in--that the NL lost or I stayed up and watched 13 innings.

I really thought the NL would get over the hump but not to be. (Game 3 it is.) A really good game for an exhibition. Cubs hitters did squat but the pitchers did quite well; all three combined for four scoreless innings.

Muck the AL

bineaz

Now I'm going to sound off. Billy Wagner sucks. He just pisses me off. If the Mets are going to depend on him to close games then we're in trouble.

Which leads me to another thing: why the hec wasn't David Wright & Jose Reyes voted in? Wright got to be on the team because Soriano was hurt and Reyes didn't even make anything. Handley Ramirez is not a better SS. Reyes has better range and has as good a glove. Their bats are identical. Miguel Tejada of the Astros? PUHLEASE.

It's nothing but a popularity contest. Derek Jeter did not deserve to start. He's having an off season and no one will deny that. I'm just glad that no one from the Yankees did anything big. Matter of fact, May-Rod did nothing.

And why does May-Rod have any interest in Madonna? Is he kidding me? This guy (who is a good lucking young man making a ton of cash) can have any frieking broad on earth he wants. And he wants a has-been/old hag like Madonna? LMFAO! What a loser.

hehehe

If he it means he'll suck on the field, let A-Rod have a little fun with the material girl.

I agree on the selection issue. Fukedome for the Cubs has been a great addition to our club and has made an immediate impact, but he did not deserve to be an All-Star starter.

Casati:

Talk to me in about 5 years. Ask him. Let he child have some choices.

Mickey Mouse or a shot at some hoochie?

Casati - I agree with you about May-Rod getting better looking girls but you are over-looking Madonna.

I know that you don't like Madonna (don't know why because she gets better looks-wise with age) but she is probably the most recognized woman in the world. Secondly, she's a fine piece of ass. Thirdly, she's a great fuck as Dennis Rodman said some time back. As a matter of fact, he said that she was the ultimate.

Now I'll take a woman like that over one that looks like, let's say Angelina Jolie, and doesn't know how to fuck. Get it? Who would you choose in a situation like that?

May-Rod's seen more action than all of here put together. Maybe he wants to try something new and what better way to do it with a pro like Madonna. I'm sure she can teach him plenty.

Another one bites the dust at the TdF

Riccò positive - Taken into police custody

Italian rider Riccardo Riccò of Saunier Duval has tested positive for blood booster Erythropoietin (EPO), French sports daily L'Equipe reported on their website on Thursday. According to the paper's Damien Ressiot, one of the climber's urine samples collected by the French Anti-Doping Agency AFLD showed traces of a third generation EPO called CERA (Continuous Erythropoietin Receptor Activator).

Riccò, who won two stages in the Tour de France (the sixth and ninth), was ninth on general classification before the news broke on Thursday morning. The Italian's impressive performances have in the past been explained by his naturally high hematocrit level.

The Italian from Spanish team Saunier Duval was part of a targeted group of riders. Since the start of the race in Brest, the AFLD performed numerous anti-doping tests on him, at least four according to L'Equipe.

Riccò will not continue the race. This morning at the start of stage 12 from Lavelanet to Narbonne, he was taken from his team bus into a team car, which drove away. Cyclingnews' Gregor Brown confirmed that the Italian was taken into police custody for questioning.

LOL. Basta. Hanno rotto il cazzo.

These idiots with the doping controls are ruining this sport. They are killing cycling.

Pram

Eh dai... do you have any idea how many better looking women than Madonna are out there and they know how to please a man? Geez... If I were May-Rod I would have the likes of Megan Fox and Angelina Jolie look-alikes every night and twice on Sunday.

Plus... when did Dennis Rodman date her? Answer... before Madonna had kids. Remember that all broads forget how to please a man after they have kids.

BTW... Madonna gets better with age? Are you kidding me? She got voted on some Italian website (I forgot the website) last year as one of the top 10 worst looking legs (reason being her age). I'm not kidding. She ain't all that anymore and can't possibly compete against the younger broads. And in her prime she was good looking (not great) at best.

May-Rod's a horse's ass. Moron chooses to study the Kabala (or whatever the f--k it's called) with Madonna, texts his best friend that he's finally found his soul-mate (what a d--k) causing his marriage to go down the tubes. His father left him at a yong age and now he's returning the favor to his 2 kids ages 3 years and the youngest at 4 months. I actually respected May-Rod more when the NY Post caught him in Toronto with a great looking stripper. At least he was trying to be discreet about his infedelities but the NY Post (rubbish newspaper) thought otherwise.

But now I've lost all respect for him. He's away from home 9 months out of the year just hanging with the boys. His wife lives in Miami he works in Tampa & NY for the most part when the team is not traveling. So basically May-Rod can do what he wants when he wants for the majority of 9 months. If he wants to sleep with every ho in the states, fine. And I have no problem with that. That's his perogative. But to break up your marriage with 2 very, very young kids..... that takes a very self-centered & shallow individual, IMO.

Well May-Rod is a piece of shit but that's got nothig to do with Madonna.

I'd dog her and I still think she's a nice piece of ass. Plus as an old aquaintance once said to me about her friend : "she'll fuck you upside down".

pramzan

Riccò.... was only a question of time. He was already "famous" for problems with doping as an amateur. Yeah, finally got the certificate that says he has a naturally high hematocrit level and then passed pro. Problem solved? No, that wasn't the only problem. Read a bit in the cicloweb.it forum from a few years back... Even when he passed pro a few posters (some amateurs themselves, others with connections) where fairly clear when speaking about Riccò... if there was ever a superdoper then it's him. Not a surprise at all and I for one won't miss him at all. I'll miss Piepoli and Cobo though, especially Cobo could have made the general classification interesting in the alps. Now it's up to Sastre/Schleck and Menchov to beat that "clean" second or third rate Australian.

You know what? I'm coming to the point where I don't care for cycling anymore.

I mean really. The sport, especially in the last 10 years, has turned into who can hide the doping best. They all dope. We all know they do. So why don't they do what Moser suggested a few years ago and let them dope?

My dayswith the Tour are done. What's the point of watching? You never know when the winner will be pulled over, kicked out of the race and arrested.
Today's stage was without the Polka Dots shirt. Fucking credibly incredible.


And I agree that Rod up his ass is a winnie.

Obviously the powers that be in pro cycling are trying to put some really tight testing. Let's be honest: how many of you truly believe the BS story that Ricco` has naturally high hemocrit level? I don't. He got busted. It's that simple.

I don't believe it will get easier to dope. It will only get harder for a while and then the medics will have found a way around it. It's a silly cat & mouse game with no winners, only losers. The biggest losers are the fans.

gotta agree with mmaggi

I like cougars like the next guy, but he can do way better than Madonna. As was said, even in her prime there were a lot better looking than her. I was never really into Madonna's looks.

soulmate ? bwahahaha, what the fuck are they going to talk about ? Let's see in a few months when they get bored of each other. A guy into Kabala ? What a pussy.

And what's the deal on her side ? Is she split with Guy Richie or was she cheating on him too ?

She is a slut. Folks who switch religions are usually trying to find something to fill the gaps in their life. My guess is that AR found a whole to fill in Madonna.

Very interesting article.
http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2008/tour08/?id=/features/2008/tour08_micera_st12

LMFAO@A guy into Kabala ? What a pussy.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

Well... whatever about the doping at the TdF. I'm just getting tired of this crap.

Regarding Ricco`, I don't like him anyway. This past Giro he was nothing but a whinney little bitch complaining about everything under the sun. He even complained about a rider (I forgot the rider's name) who ended up pulling Contador on a steep climb. Ricco` stated after the stage "I would like to know why <rider's name> pulled Contador. Is he working for him? ". Shut up you little worm. He took off and ended up pulling Contador because he was going for the podium you imbecile. The world doesn't revolve around you.

Casati,

It looks like Manuel has settled the Mets down (a ten game winning streak will do that).

Damn. I don't like this Ricco guy. Then again, there are few Italians riders Iiked, Pantani, RIP and Bartali ( who I never knew about until a history class about WWII) He was a practcing Catholic involved in getting Italians Jews to safety.

Yes. Gino Bartali was a devout Catholic. The duel he had with Fausto Coppi divided Italy as Coppi left his wife for another woman.

Had it not been for WWII who knows how many Giros and Tours the two of them would have won. Bartali had already 2 Giros and 1 Tour by the time WWII interupted cycling. Coppi had won the Giro in 1940 at 20 years of age, still a record. Ten years after Bartali won the Tour in 1938 at 24 years of age, he won it again in 1948 at 34 years of age, a record that still stands today.

Of the grand tours, he won 3 Giros and 2 Tours. He was VERY bitter that WWII had robbed him of his best years.

Coppi won 5 Giros and 2 Tours, being the first ever cyclist to win Giro and Tour in the same year, 1949. He repeated the feat in 1952. The next cyclist who did it was Jacques Anquetil i nthe early 60s.

No two cyclists dominated the mountains like Coppi and Bartali did in the 1940s and 1950s. They rode alone and many times Coppi rode by himself as he was younger than Bartali. But no two cyclists in the history of the sport dominated the mountains like those two.

what decade do you guys think drug enhancers & blood doping came into the scene ?

Doping? Since the beginning. blood doping? First in the 80ies I think, not sure, then a little break (EPO) and had a comeback after 98.

Well I'd guess in the 50s performance enhancers started to be used but who knows? It may have been earlier. Merckx got busted at the 69(?) Giro d'Itlaia. Anqutiel got busted years before that (mid 60s).

Blood doping probably in the 70s.

I have seen footage of riders before the Tour smoking cigarettes and drinking coffee. Also, amphetamines were used. In the post WW II era doping has become more refined.

Doping or not, yeterday's stage into Italy was very exciting. I was hoping Evans would crack completely but it wasn't meant to be.

Cycling, in the past, has been the "laboratory" for doping. From there it made it's way into football and other sports.

Don't know of any cyclists who were "caught" doping in the 1940s. I don't even know if they tested back then. But Coppi came up positive in the 1950s. Anquetil and Merckx were caught in the 1960s. Many other lesser knowns did too.

To answer the question: since man started to compete athletically, there has been doping. Be it with caffeine, pain killers, etc., man has always looked for an edge. And, in my opinion, they will never get rid of it in any sport. Never.

There were blood doping allegations against Lasse Viren, Munich and Montreal 5,000 and 10,000 m Olympic champion, in the 70s. I don't recall any official investigation at the time. In fact I don't think it was considered illegal back then.

Why not have a dope free Tour and a all you can dope version?

It's moments like this where I really get angry. Did anyone see last night's Phillies-Mets? Mets have a 5-2 lead going into the 9th. Johan Santana is pitching real well. At the close of the 8th he has 105 pitches under his belt. So what does Manuel do, brings in the relief corp for the 9th who go on to blow the game.

Why the hec do all managers just automatically go to the bullpen for the 9th even though their starter is not showing signs of fatigue? I'm certain Santana wouldn't have blown a 3 run lead. The pitch count just sucks. I hate it, really.

105/8 = 13.125

I am not into baseball stats but I am assuming that 105 pitches include the foul balls, etc. In other words, everytime he threw the ball. Now 13 pitches per inning, I assume is a very good rate. He had two runs scored on him, so I guess there were some hits. But if we were to limit 3 batters per inning, it is a little over 4 pitches per batter. And since there were more than the mandatory 3 per inning, his pitches per batter is even lower. No doubt, it was some very efficient pitching. So why would you not let the guy finish? At least give him a chance. I am pretty sure the bullpen was ready to go. Too much thinking by the manager.

2007 Deja vu all over again.

Pitch Count

It's amazing how much baseball has been reduced to statistics. It's always been a game that lends itself to compiling stats but the pitch count is a prime example of how things have become all about the "numbers." It works more or less but sometimes you have stupid decisions like taking out Santana. Most teams are not immune as last season in the playoffs Piniella took out Zambrano after six innings to rest him for game 4, which the Cubs never played as they were swept.

It's still a beautiful game.

Cubs

Things were on the downswing for the Cubs since around the All-Star game. I think the large contingent from the club partied it up in NYC and it took the club time to get back on track. They have done so the past two games against Milwaukee. After being up 5 games in the race, Milwaukee caught us on Saturday in a tie for first in the Central. With four head to head games up in Milwaukee this is the biggest series of the season so far.

Monday, the Brewers had Cy Young winner Sabathia going. He had won three straight complete games but we took it to him early. The game was exciting as the lead exchanged hands a few times. It was a great win especially as we took their closer far into the 9th inning. Last night we handily took out Milwaukee's other ace, Ben Sheets, who started the All-Star game for the NL. We still have an injury concern with Kerry Wood's "blister" on his throwing index finger but it looks like we should still finish on top. I think Milwaukee will win the wild card.

Manny being Manny

Well, Manny Ramierez got his wish and was traded from the Red Sox. Not sure if his desire was to end up with Joe Torre and the Dodgers but it certainly could have been worse. The Dodgers now looked poised to possibly winning the NL West.

I hate second guessing a winning organziation. Therefore I trust the brain-trust of the Red Sox (Theo Epstein, John Henry, Terry Francona). I guess Manny just became to much of a club house and organziational liability. Many had asked numerous times to be traded since he was signed to a 7 year $138 million contract back in Dec. 2000. The Red Sox put him on unconditional waivers after the 2003 season and no one picked him up! He was always late to sprng training (this season was the only one where he showed up early), he rarely ran out ground balls or pop-ups and his fielding at times was atrocious. The late Bobby Murcer (who never had anything bad to say about anybody) once said "they pay Manny $19,900,000 per season to bat".

And what a bat he has. I've been watching this game for over 35 years and I can honestly tell anybody that this guy is one the top 3 greatest hitters I have ever seen. Manny hits for power & average and has one of the best eyes in the game. He always gets off to a slow start but by Memorial Day weekend he's in full swing. I would love to see his career average from June 1 through Sept. 30. It's got to be over .350. Manny OWNED the Yankees and is arguably the biggest big game player in baseball today. Just look at his post season stats if you have any doubts. Yankee fans yesterday were celebrating XMAS in July, let me tell you.

bineaz

Don't worry about your Cubbies. Sweet Lou is guding this ship to a NL Central title.

I don't know about the Dodgers winning shit around here. I know theyre putting in new seats every year and adding new seats every year and selling fancy meals in the fancy boxes to people who don't give a shit about baseball.